TTP Intensifies Attacks in Pakistan; Commander Qasim Issues Direct Threat to Army Chief

Islamabad: As attacks by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) intensify across the country’s northwestern regions, newly released videos from the group have raised serious alarm within Pakistan’s security establishment.

The TTP has claimed responsibility for a deadly assault in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on October 8, which it says left 22 Pakistani soldiers dead. The group also released videos displaying weapons and vehicles allegedly seized during the attack. However, the Pakistan Army has disputed the casualty figures, confirming only 11 fatalities.

In one of the videos, TTP commander Qasim appears before the camera issuing a direct threat to Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, saying:

“If you are a man, face us on the battlefield. If you have truly drunk your mother’s milk, fight us.”

Following the release of this footage, the Pakistani government announced a reward of PKR 100 million for information leading to Qasim’s capture.

The surge in TTP violence comes amid rising tensions between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban government. The two sides had agreed to a temporary ceasefire in October, brokered by Turkey and Qatar, following deadly cross-border shelling and airstrikes that caused civilian casualties.

However, Islamabad has warned that the ceasefire cannot hold unless armed groups operating from Afghan soil are restrained.

Security experts and local media outlets have voiced growing concern that the TTP’s recent offensives and propaganda victories could embolden other extremist factions, including Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, ISIS-K (ISKP), and Jaish-e-Mohammad.

Analysts caution that Pakistan’s military appears to be struggling to contain the resurgent militancy, as the northwest once again becomes a flashpoint of extremist violence.